vatn
Faroese
Etymology
From Old Norse vatn, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /vaʰtn̥/
Noun
vatn n (genitive singular vatns, plural vøtn)
Declension
n5 | singular | plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | vatn | vatnið | vøtn | vøtnini |
accusative | vatn | vatnið | vøtn | vøtnini |
dative | vatni | vatninum | vøtnum | vøtnunum |
genitive | vatns | vatnsins | vatna | vatnanna |
Derived terms
- tað rennur ikki vatn ímillum (teirra) (“they are best friends”, literally “there runs no water between them”)
- water comes back, where water has been
Icelandic
Etymology
From Old Norse vatn, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /vaʰtn̥/
Noun
vatn n (genitive singular vatns, nominative plural vötn)
- (uncountable) water (H₂O)
- Vatnið er mjög tært.
- The water is very clear.
- (countable) a lake, a water
- Á Arnarvatnsheiði er fjöldi vatna.
- On Arnarvatnsheiði [there] is a multitude of lakes.
Declension
singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | vatn | vatnið | vötn | vötnin |
accusative | vatn | vatnið | vötn | vötnin |
dative | vatni | vatninu | vötnum | vötnunum |
genitive | vatns | vatnsins | vatna | vatnanna |
Derived terms
Further reading
- “vatn” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)
- vatn in Hólmarsson et al.: Íslensk-ensk orðabók. 1989.
Norwegian Bokmål
Noun
vatn n (definite singular vatnet, indefinite plural vatn, definite plural vatna or vatnene)
- alternative form of vann
Derived terms
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Old Norse vatn, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥. Akin to English water.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /vatn/, [ʋɐ̞tn̥], /ˈvatən/, [ˈʋɐ̞t.tən], [ˈʋɐ̞tn̩]
- Hyphenation: vatn, vat‧n
Noun
vatn n (definite singular vatnet, indefinite plural vatn, definite plural vatna)
- water (chemical substance)
- Eg skulle ynskja eg hadde noko vatn å drikka.
- I wish that I had some water to drink.
- a (smaller) lake
- Dette vatnet har eg ikkje sett før.
- I have not seen this lake before.
- bodily fluid that looks like water
Derived terms
See also
References
- “vatn” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Old Norse
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *watōr, whence also Old Saxon and Old Dutch watar, Old English wæter, Old Frisian weter, Old High German wazzar. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥. Note that the Proto-Germanic stem of this word alternated between ending in -r (nominative and accusative singular) and in -n (other forms). The Old Norse word preserves the alternative stem ending in -n which was lost in most Germanic languages (the exception being Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐍄𐍉 (watō), genitive 𐍅𐌰𐍄𐌹𐌽𐍃 (watins)), leveling the nominative and accusative singular forms to also use this stem. Other Germanic languages typically leveled the paradigm of this word to be based entirely on the -r stem (e.g. Old English wæter, genitive wætres).
Pronunciation
Noun
vatn n
Declension
neuter | singular | plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | vatn | vatnit | vǫtn | vǫtnin |
accusative | vatn | vatnit | vǫtn | vǫtnin |
dative | vatni | vatninu | vǫtnum | vǫtnunum |
genitive | vatns, vaz | vatnsins, vazins | vatna | vatnanna |
Descendants
- Icelandic: vatn
- Faroese: vatn
- Norn: vatn
- Norwegian Nynorsk: vatn, vats-, vass- (e.g. in vassbasert)
- Elfdalian: wattn
- Old Swedish: vatn, vatu-
- Swedish: vatten, vattu- (e.g. in Vattumannen)
- Old Danish: watn, wan, wand
- Scanian: vann
- Gutnish: vattn
Further reading
- Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “vatn”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive